Latin America Group

Latin America Group

Our firm-wide Latin America Practice

We help regional and international clients make the most of the region's healthy diversity of investment opportunities, which enables them to stay busy through entire economic (life) cycles.

Local and regional know-how that delivers results

We were the first global firm with a dedicated Latin America practice providing clients with a holistic picture of the region's highly diverse legal, economic and cultural landscape. We have been working in Latin America for decades and have a long history of acting in the region for all types of clients – corporates, investors, investment banks, commercial lenders, export credit agencies, multilateral and bilateral development agencies and sovereign and sub-sovereign governments.

Our practice is recognized as Band 1 by Chambers Latin America Wide and Chambers Brazil in several categories, and our teams and the transactions we work on are often recognized by many of the leading publications as team or transaction of the year. Our expertise and the wealth of our experience across the full range of practices, including capital markets, banking, corporate, project finance, structured finance and litigation, gives us the ability to provide cutting-edge, practical and coordinated legal advice covering the entire spectrum of needs of our clients throughout the region.

Few law firms can match our integrated Latin America practice with lawyers primarily based in São Paulo, New York, Washington DC, Madrid, London and Hong Kong. Our team regularly works on the most sophisticated, cross-border deals for inbound and outbound investments in Latin America.

We have the ability to build tailor-made teams according to your every legal need with partners and associates at all levels native or fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and English with law degrees from the best US, Latin American and European law schools.

Publications

Deals

Goldman SachsRepresented Goldman Sachs and a number of Colombian bank and debt fund lenders in a committed USD$2 billion multi-source and multi-currency debt package financing for the development of the Conexión Pacífico 3, Costera Cartagena Barranquilla and Alto Magdalena toll road projects awarded as part of the Fourth Generation (4G) Road Program in Colombia. (These financings included various combinations of Rule 144A/Reg S dollar bonds, inflation-indexed Colombian peso bonds, senior Colombian peso loans, a subordinated revolving liquidity facility and various currency and interest rate hedges. The Conexión Pacífico 3 financing was the first 4G project to be financed internationally and the first project bond ever in the history of Colombia.) It was recognized by LatinFinance as the Best Road Financing and Best Infrastructure Financing – Andes in 2016.

Deutsche Bank
We advised Deutsche Bank as underwriter on a USD$100 million follow-on SEC registered offering for Gruma, S.A. de C.V., the world‘s largest producer of corn flour and tortillas

IDB
We advised IDB and a group of commercial banks in respect of the financing of the USD$1 billion Chaglla hydroelectric project in Peru, which is being developed by Odebrecht

Reventazon (Hydroelectric Project)
Advised the arranger, multilaterals and other lenders in the structuring the first "B bond" (i.e. a B loan under a multilateral A/B loan program that is to be financed through the capital markets) ever to finance a greenfield project in Latin America.

Banco Bradesco
We advised Banco Bradesco in its announced USD$5.2 billion acquisition of HSBC Holdings PLC’s Brazilian banking business

Coca-Cola
We advised Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola FEMSA in the USD$580 million announced acquisition of AdeS, a leading South American soy-based beverage, from Unilever

Abertis Infraestructuras
We are advising the Spanish multinational in an UNCITRAL claim for breaches of a BIT arising out of the expropriation of a concession agreement to run the three international airports of Bolivia.

Credit Suisse and Citigroup
Advised Credit Suisse and Citigroup, as joint bookrunners, in the issuance of USD$2 billion of its 7.95% Notes. 2014 Sovereign Bond of the Year, Latin Finance

"Clients are quick to praise the firm's abilities to handle complex matters, with one source commenting: ‘This is my firm of choice. The lawyers work well together and you are always well taken care of - they always have full coverage. Our transactions were hard projects but it was unbelievable the way the team pulled them off.’"Chambers Latin America 2017: Latin America Wide – Projects – Band 1

"Clifford Chance has a formidable Latin America banking and finance practice spread across its New York, Washington DC and São Paulo offices. The broad practice has demonstrated its market leading credentials in both restructurings and new money financings across the region."Legal 500 Latin America 2017: International Firms – Banking and Finance – Tier 1

"Stellar international practice fielding a highly respected team with long-standing experience advising on a broad spectrum of M&A matters, often involving capital markets work. Regularly represents international investors in Latin America, as well as regional investors in M&A transactions abroad. Renowned for its work in the energy sector and its strong presence in Brazil."
Chambers Latin America 2017: Latin America Wide – Corporate M&A